Serpents in the Garden

Some shady "Security" firm visited the Lewes Road Community Garden in the early hours of this morning, padlocking it in an attempt to keep residents out of the beautiful green space they have created on this derelict petrol station site.

Happily, residents have now gained access again, and my fellow Green councillors in St Peter's & North Laine ward are working with the group to try and negotiate an agreement with the landowners while the future of the site is decided.

The Community Garden group have also set up a petition, seeking support for the continuation of this excellent project:

"On Tuesday 9th June a security agency locked up the garden and declared the site protected. We plead and ask for your support to keep our garden open to the community, who have taken care of the space, keeping it safe, secure and creating an example of what the community can do when we pull together.

"We have repaired the fence, beautified the site and created a space that people use to come together in a way we have never done before; learning from one another, sharing experiences and forming friendships with our neighbours.

"A derelict site for years, has now been transformed by the local community voluntarily and positively to create a free space that we can all enjoy.

"Please sign our petition to keep the garden actively alive!"

I hope this project continues unmolested - this is a wonderful use of an empty site, and even after only 6 weeks the benefits to the community have been tangible. Good luck to the residents in their negotiations with the landlords.

Polling has closed...

Preston Park, 8.30pm

...and now we wait for the results. Having told (telled? - been a teller) at the portacabin polling station in the park for the local elections in May 2007, I can report that the turnout was unusually high here, for the 6-10pm evening period especially.

What this means overall, I couldn't say. Certainly the council officers staffing the station (from 6.45am 'til 10.15pm with a 20 minute break - hmm) were surprised, especially as the Euros have a low turnout traditionally.

So roll on Sunday/Monday, when the waiting will be over. As somebody once said, "I can handle the despair - it's the hope that's killing me". I've got everything crossed for Caroline, Keith, Jean, Peter, and all our candidates in target constituencies.

Thank you if you voted Green today.

Thank you if you even bothered to vote!*

*(but not for the BNP obv.)

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Eagle-eyed readers will spot what is wrong with the above picture (OK, no clever answers here please ;))... the polling portacabin was powered by a stinky diesel generator. There were complaints from tellers, polling station officers, and voters alike, particularly those who found themselves downwind of the fumes. Yuk :(

A few lightbulbs and sockets don't need much power; why can't we use portable micro-renewables for future temporary polling stations, instead of noxious fossil fuel guzzlers?

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My best ever Telling Story is from last May when I went up to Lewisham to help out with their local/AM elections on a dank and damp Spring afternoon.

I was stationed at an infant school near Sue Luxton's house, nervously eyeing up the clouds and the fact that there was no shelter in the playground should it start to rain.

Well, of course, the heavens opened, and there was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide - the school porch was off-limits thanks to campaigning rules, and as I scanned the playground in panic, I spotted a very small wendy house...





















Yes reader, in desperation I ended up cowering in that teeny-tiny wendy house, rolling a [soggy] fag with my knees up to my chin, and the rain pummelling my temporary accommodation, thinking "yes, all my life and all my career I've been working up to this. Oh, the GLAMOUR."

WRONG doesn't even begin to cover it...

From Petrol to Petunias

Another beautiful day today. This afternoon I wandered over to the Lewes Road Community Garden, where a group of local horticulturalists have transformed a derelict petrol station site into a blossoming green space for the enjoyment of all.

I know this site well, having spent two happy years living around the corner on Caledonian Road in my students days. Needless to say my housemates and I were frequent late-night shoppers at the old Esso garage, which closed several years ago.

Since then, the plot has remained undeveloped; so I was thrilled when I learnt that neighbouring residents had come together to beautify the land, and to create a community garden.

In a city hemmed-in by the sea and the South Downs, and where more than 50% of residents live in flats (as opposed to houses with gardens), I find my thoughts turn increasingly to common land and open space, and so I decided to check it out for myself.


Although the site is still fenced in, the gates were wide open this afternoon, and quite a few people were either working or relaxing in the garden.

My sincere thanks go to Anoushka, who warmly welcomed me to the garden, and told me a little bit about its journey from Fossil Fuel Dereliction to Community Resource.

The site has been empty for five years, so I was unsurprised to hear that the managing agents acquiesced when residents made their initial approach to take on the land on an ad-hoc basis. While this is very positive, on the flip-side the gardeners have also had to defuse local criticism that they're "hippies" and/or (*ahem*) "gypsies" who want to "steal" the land (hmm).

Happily, many of the original objectors are now actively supporting the Lewes Road Community Garden, and even bringing cuttings and seedlings to the site - because, according to Anoushka, "we just went and spoke to them, and they realised we were alright".

As a former petrol station, the site is classed as contaminated land, so there are stringent regulations regarding its development; the longer it "lies fallow", the fewer the groundworks and excavation required in order to make the site conditions acceptable for new development.

So it's pretty much a win-win situation: the landlords can point to responsible community engagement and a cleaner site for prospective developers, and in the meantime, local residents can enjoy a beautiful garden, made by the community for the community.

From a Green point of view, there's a wonderful sense of natural justice in seeing a former fossil fuel site transformed into an urban oasis :)


Great stuff from the Lewes Road residents. Is this something we could adapt for the Anston House site?